Bay Windows - Local News, December 2, 1999
Peter Cassels, Bay Windows staff

You can find out by picking up a copy of "The Best of Mike's Body Parts," a Y2K calendar available at Boston area bookstores, gift shops, health clubs and other locations beginning Dec. 8. Not your typical cheesecake or beefcake calendar, each month features a black and white photo of a different sculpted and buffed body part modeled by anonymous members of Mike's Gym in Boston's South End. Along with the easy-on-the-eyes pictures, you'll get tips on how to develop your own best body parts, which include pecs (April), butt (June), best overall female body (November), and best male (December).

Besides learning how to develop the perfect body, you'll be helping a good cause. Proceeds will benefit Community Servings, the nonprofit agency that provides daily meals to more than 600 Boston area people with HIV disease.

The calendar is the brainchild of Rob Arno, a Mike's Gym client who was inspired by the September issue of Boston Magazine, which included the sweat emporium in its Best of Boston listings. Mike's was rated best overall in equipment and amenities, including "Adonises that fight for pole position for attention."

"I thought, æGee, this is too good to let go. We ought to capitalize on it,'" Arno told Bay Windows. "I wanted to do something very constructive that was also fun."

Employed by Genzyme Corporation, a genetics-engineering firm headquartered in Cambridge that has a policy encouraging community service, Arno put together a business proposal that included research and marketing. He showed it to Paul Crisostamo, Mike's Gym owner, who liked the idea, although he initially thought it was going to be a contest, which he thought would be too cumbersome. Both also were concerned that there wouldn't be enough time to get it finished in time for the heavy holiday shopping period, when most new calendars are purchased.

"We almost shelved the idea for a year, but I thought of doing a pilot calendar, just cover the immediate local area and see how well it does," Arno explained. That required fine tuning additional research. "There are lots of muscle hunk calendars out there selling for an average of 15 bucks. I wanted to make sure we could compete before we did it." He also wanted to differentiate this calendar so it would stand out in a sea of bodies. That's why buyers will get exercise, nutrition tips and factoids about Community Servings and its work.

His research showed there was a market. "People were very interested in the product, even more interested when it was associated with a community cause," Arno said. "We decided to go ahead with a pilot project right away." He did a cost analysis and found that with a sales price of $9.95, the calendar could raise between $10,000 and $20,000 for Community Servings.

When Arno asked Crisostamo which charity should receive the proceeds, he recommended the meal provider, even though the gym has worked with many other nonprofits, such as AIDS Action, the Fenway Community Health Center and Positive Directions, on fund-raising projects for many years. "Rob didn't know where best bang for the buck would be," Crisostamo told Bay Windows. "We've been a distribution point for Community Servings Thanksgiving pies for a long time. In fact, this year we sold them and raised some money. I know how hard they work and the good they do for people with AIDS. The other agencies are all needy, but a small of amount of money would make more of a difference with a smaller charity like Community Servings."

Arno and Crisostamo had to find a photographer, graphic designers, a distributor and a printer. Crisostamo recommended Peter Urban, a well-known Boston commercial photographer who works on Mike's Gym advertisements. Urban, who is particularly noted for his artistic renditions sculpted bodies, donated his time for the project. "There was no overhead," Arno explained. "All the labor for the entire project has been donated. The only cost was materials."

Getting the calendar from concept to store shelves "was a lot of work, more than I thought it was going to be, to tell you the truth," said Crisostamo. "Rob carried the ball and put the whole thing together. He pushed really hard."

The hardest part was finding the models. Because Arno insisted on fresh new people, he didn't want to use the models normally seen in Mike's Gym ads. "He wanted people with no affiliations, except as gym members, not anyone who works here," Crisostamo explained. "They also had to agree to be anonymous." Working with sales manager Keith O'Byrne and three trainers, the owner selected 12 models, one for each month from the gym's approximately 3,000 members.

"Aesthetically, what I looked for was something that I thought looked really good," he explained in describing the judging criteria. "We had a couple of trainers who thought differently, and one, a woman, got more technical, looking at best formed muscle group."

Except for November and December, they selected members who might have a perfect part, but not the best body. "For example, one might have a good calf but a huge stomach," Crisostamo said. "The chest, shoulders and arms were easy. We had a choice of two or three people for each."

While the models vary by gender and sexual orientation, gay men have the best developed upper bodies and butts, he noted. "Their legs and calves are sometimes lacking." Getting Urban's and the models' schedules together was a nightmare. "That was the hardest part of the job."

"We are thrilled to be working with Rob Arno, Peter Urban and Mike's Gym," Community Servings Executive Director David Waters said. "The thing that most excites me is that they are looking for innovative for local businesses to support charities in the gay community. I can hardly wait to see the photos."

"The Best of Mike's Body Parts" has an initial press run of 1,000, with an option for another 1,500. If the calendar sells well, plans call for wider distribution of the 2001 version. Copies may be purchased at We Think the World of You, Glad Day, Brookline Booksmith, House of Sarah Booksellers in Somerville, and Border's bookstores in Boston; Mike's Gym in Boston and Medford, Cambridge Racquet Club, Fitness Corp and the Metropolitan Health Club; Copley Flair, Condom World, Boston Sweets, Mike's Movies, the Movie Place, Foodies supermarket and the Deluxe and Berkeley barber shops.
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